Help with the cost of fostering

All foster parents get a foster care allowance to help cover the cost of caring for a child. You might get additional payments, depending on: if the child has specific needs how many children you’re fostering your skills and experience your fostering service Contact your fostering service to find out how much you get. This guidance applies to England. There’s different fostering guidance if you live in Scotland , live in Wales or live in Northern Ireland . Minimum weekly allowance The minimum allowance you’ll get depends on where you live and the age of the child you care for. The allowance is updated every April. Weekly allowances for the tax year from 6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025 Age 0 to 2 Age 3 to 4 Age 5 to 10 Age 11 to 15 Age 16 to 17 London £191 £195 £217 £248 £289 South East £183 £189 £208 £238 £278 Rest of England £165 £170 £187 £213 £249 Allowance rates when the child is 18 Children stop being in care when they reach 18, even if they’re still living with you. There is no minimum allowance when your child is old enough to leave foster care . Contact your fostering service for more information. Expenses You may be able to apply to your fostering service for extra money to help with things like: school trips holidays birthdays religious festivals

You should have registered as self-employed when you started to foster. You’ll need to file tax returns. Check with your fostering service what you need to do. In your tax return, you’ll be able to claim: a tax exemption of up to £18,140 per household tax relief for every week you foster a child This is known as qualifying care relief. You may be entitled to National Insurance credits , which count towards your State Pension . Tax exemption In a tax year, households do not pay tax on the first £18,140 they earn from fostering. You’ll still pay tax on money you earn from a job or investment. Tax relief On top of the £18,140 exemption, you also get tax relief for every week (or part week) that a child is in your care. This means you do not have to pay tax on some of your earnings over £18,140. Age of child Tax relief Under 11 £375 per child 11 or over £450 per child Example Laura is a foster carer for a 14-year-old for the whole of the year and for an 8-year-old for 10 weeks of the year. She does not have to pay tax on the first £45,290 she earns from fostering: Tax exemption = £18,140 + Child 1 (52 x £450) = £32,400 + Child 2 (10 x £375) = £3,750 Total = £45,290

Being a foster parent can affect your benefits. Check a benefits calculator to see what you’re eligible for. If you’re claiming benefits you need to tell the organisation that pays you that you’re also getting a foster care allowance. You can get disability benefits for your foster child if they meet the criteria. You may also be able to claim Carer’s Allowance if your foster child gets Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment . For more help on how your benefits may change: contact the organisation that pays you get free fostering advice from Fosterline

Making decisions for your foster child

Your foster child’s placement plan should tell you what decisions you can make, known as delegated authority. There are 3 different levels to delegated authority: day-to-day decisions like dental check ups, hair cuts, school trips, parent-teacher meetings and letting your child go to sleepovers long-term decisions like which school a child goes to significant decisions made by the local authority and birth parents, like surgery If your child’s placement plan does not tell you what level of delegated authority you have you should contact your fostering service to find out. You may not have the same level of authority for each child you foster. For example, you might foster 2 children and have the right to sign a consent form for one of them. Going on holiday If you do not have the authority to take your foster child on holiday you’ll need to speak to their social worker. You’ll also need to: tell your child’s social worker when you’ll be going and when you’ll be back get a letter of consent from your child’s social worker for passport control (if you’re going abroad) Medical treatment for your foster child You may not have the right to give consent to medical treatment. Check your child placement plan to find out if you have the authority to let your foster child have: medication a medical examination local or general anaesthetic surgery

You should get support from your fostering service, your local council and social workers. You can also get support and advice from Fosterline. Your local council must provide your foster child with a personal adviser from age 16 or 17 to age 25. They will help your foster child move to independent living or support them to stay with you (this is called a ‘staying put’ arrangement). Extra support is available when your foster child reaches age 16, 18 and 21 . Support from your fostering service Your foster child gets a placement plan. This tells you about the child and their needs. The fostering service should invite you to meetings on your foster child’s progress and placement plan. Your family should get: access to an out of hours advice and support service access to support groups practical, financial and emotional support training and a personal development plan, which is reviewed every year an opportunity to take a break from fostering if you need it Dealing with allegations If an allegation is made against you or anyone in your home, your local authority must: investigate it support you through it update you on progress help resolve any disagreements They may remove your foster child from your home or ask the person the allegation is about to leave. They will also look at the safety of any other children in your home. Support from social workers You’ll have contact with 2 social workers: your foster child’s social worker - they make sure you meet the child’s needs a supervising social worker to help and support you as a foster parent Your supervising social worker is there to support you as a foster parent. Contact them if you need: emotional support to talk about any concerns or worries you have about your foster child help to develop your skills as a foster parent Your social workers must make sure you understand their policies on fostering, including: how to manage your foster child’s behaviour financial support for foster parents complaints They must review your approval to foster at least once a year to make sure you’re still suitable. Social workers may decide to have some meetings without you if they think it’s best for the foster child. Social worker visits Your child’s social worker must visit you and your foster child: in the first week the child comes to live with you once every 6 weeks in the first year every 3 to 6 months after the child has lived with you for a year They must also visit you once a year without telling you they’re coming. You or your foster child can ask for more visits from the social worker. Ending a placement You must give 28 days’ notice to your social worker if you no longer wish to be the child’s foster parent. Support from Fosterline Call Fosterline for free to get advice on fostering. Fosterline 0800 040 7675 They can provide information about fostering including: financial help training courses dealing with allegations

Help and support for foster parents in England

Training and development

You need to complete the training, support, and development standards workbook within 12 months of being approved to foster.

Contact your fostering service to find out what other training and development is available. They should help you:

with a personal development plan
take part in learning and development sessions

The Foster Carers’ Charter explains your rights as a foster parent.

You do not have a statutory right to time off work to care for foster children.

If you’re fostering for adoption you’ll be entitled to adoption pay and leave from when the child comes to live with you.

If you’re considering fostering, find out about becoming a foster parent.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Help and support for foster parents in England

Training and development

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Help and support for foster parents in England

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